For Sports Gambling To Be Legalised

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Howzat? The clamour to legalise sports betting wagering in India
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5 February 2016


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By Sameer Hashmi


Mumbai Business press reporter


It is the last over of the cricket match, with India needing 17 runs to win against Australia.


In his two-bedroom house situated in central Mumbai, a middle-aged man is viewing the video game, nervously. He's sitting on the edge of his grey colour couch with his smart phone glued to his right-hand man.


He has made more than 10 hire the last thirty minutes - not to discuss the match however to keep revising his bet.
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Five minutes previously his money was on Australia, and now as the Indian batsman gets ready to face the last over he's altered his mind.
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"I think India is winning, make the change," he informs his bookie on the phone.


And a few minutes later his forecast comes true, as India wins the match in a nail-biting finish.


"I have actually made $200 today," he says with a childish glee.


For more than three decades he's been banking on cricket matches. We can't reveal his name as what he's doing is prohibited in India.


Besides horse racing, sports betting wagering of any kind is not allowed in India. Despite that, unlawful sports betting syndicates grow in the nation.


'Black money'


According to the Doha-based International Centre for sports betting Security, India's prohibited sports betting wagering market is worth some $150bn a year. And much of that sports betting money is directed towards cricket.


With no legal avenue, punters position bets utilizing their phones by making calls to bookies. Gamblers can bank on anything associated to the cricket match, from who is winning to the highest specific run scorer.


The majority of these include so-called "black cash", which is cash not stated to the taxman.


The 1867 Public Gambling Act bars any type of gaming in India, however unlike in the US which has a law forbiding web gaming, there is absolutely nothing similar here.


And overseas sports betting companies are using this loophole to tempt Indians. Although there are no online sports betting operators based out of India, a lot people have actually registered accounts with overseas firms.


"Legally you can get away [with this], as the law is uncertain for online gaming," says Mumbai- based legal representative HP Ranina.


But regardless of this, it is "offline gambling", done through call which control the marketplace.


Require legalisation


The clamour to legalise wagering in cricket has grown after a panel selected by India's Supreme Court proposed the concept, stating it would assist clamp down on corruption in the country's preferred sport.


The Justice RM Lodha Commission was set up to recommend changes in the functioning of India's cricket regulative body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the 2013 Indian Premier League sports betting scandal emerged.


Two franchises have actually been banned for 2 years after some players and team officials were found guilty of repairing parts of the match at the behest of bookmakers.


The panel also argues that legalised wagering will bring in tax earnings for the exchequer that might total up to $2bn a year.


Even gamblers feel that legalising sports betting is a relocation in the best direction.


"I don't mind paying some money out my revenues, as long as I can bet openly," says our cricket gambler.


It would also open a huge company opportunity for certified bookmakers and international online sports betting companies to establish operations in India.


And it would help restrict match fixing in cricket and other sports betting, argue many, by assisting make transactions involved in gambling more transparent.


"If you work alongside wagering business, you will have a really efficient approach of stamping out match fixing," says George Oborne, who runs a mock sports betting website, India Bet.


But numerous likewise think, that the taxes levied on the bettor and the bookie will need to be sensible to make it attractive enough for them to gamble lawfully.


However, there are constraints.


"Definitely there will be unlawful sports betting because (some) people wouldn't wish to leave an audit trail by entering the white market," states Mr Oborne.


He includes that individuals who use unaccounted money to place big bets will never bet legally.


Approval question


For sports betting to be legalised, parliamentary approval will be required to create a brand-new law, and politically this will be a difficult idea to sell.


"Although many individuals are involved in some sort of sports betting - it's still a controversial concern for many," states our unnamed punter.


And provided that India has a federal structural - each state will have to also pass a different law to legalise sports betting in their area.


"The process is so long and challenging that it will take years," states Mr Ranina."That's why, we are cynical about this coming true anytime quickly."


Yet with the concept having been backed by a main panel for the very first time, at least a dispute has actually fired up around a subject - which previously was thought about a taboo.
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